The October 2021 Viz featured five pages on Chess.
(and you were wondering where I get my ideas from.)
For those of you not familiar with Viz. It’s an adult comic that does not take
itself seriously and contains some very near to the knuckle cartoon sketches.
The cover and piece inside is an obvious skit on Nona Gaprindashvili claiming
her reputation has been tarnished by her being mentioned in the Netflix series;
‘Queens Gambit.’ (I’ve still not seen it - doubt if I ever will.) . Calvin Weedol,
an ex laundry worker from Spennymoor claims the chess exploits and private life
portrayed by Beth Harmon in the Netflix series uncannily mirror his life because
he too is an orphan (though his parents are still alive and Calvin still lives with them)
and he once beat a classmate called Barry Duckworth. How spooky and strange is that?
After that piece there follows the usual chess nonsense (all good fun) including this:
Another Calvin? (the magazine always make fun of anyone named Calvin)
I could not find the Spassky game but I did find this RHP game where a Bishop took two
pawns, a Rook, put the King in check and the game ended in a draw all within 7 moves.
aga3 - azzgoodazz RHP 2011
[FEN "6k1/3R2p1/4ppbp/p1p5/2P5/PrB4P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 34"]
34. Bxa5 {There goes the first pawn.} 34... Rxa3 35. Bb6 Ra4 36. Bxc5 {There goes the second pawn.} 36... Rxc4 37. Be3 Kf8 38. Rd4 Rxd4 39. Bxd4 {The Bishop has taken a Rook.} 39... e5 40. Bc5+ {And has now placed the King in check. The game was soon agreed drawn.}
Good to see the old Mortimer Trap being dusted off and set before the World Champion.
Magnus Carlsen - Richard Rapport, Norway 2021
Magnus dodged the trap but I have over 40 RHP members taking the e-pawn
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Ne7 {The key move of the Mortimer. Here Magnus castled.} 5. Nxe5 c6 6. Bc4 {Here or 6.Ba4 the trap still works, See the next game for a counter trap.} 6... Qa5+ {Followed by 7...Qxe5.} 1-0
The counter trap. Which has been set three times on RHP and only once has it succeeded.
Normanni - taipei5200 RHP 2013
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Ne7 5. Nxe5 c6 {Now instead of moving the Bishop why not try....} 6. Nc4 {Best for Black is 6...Ng6.} 6... cxb5 {OOPS!} 7. Nd6 {Checkmate.} 1-0
A few weeks back whilst playing blitz chess I walked head first into the Siberian
Trap in the Morra Gambit. Slightly embarrassing as I have written about this trap
here and even furnished RHP examples. Before we go any further here it is the trap.
wmarmon - stardogon RHP .2016
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 {The Morra Gambit good fun and worth a punt OTB at the under 2000 level.} 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Qc7 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Qe2 Ng4 {And now the most natural move on the board...} 9. h3 {...loses.} 9... Nd4 {10.Nxd4 Qh2 mate if the White Queen moves then Nxf3+ and Qh2 mate.}
I was tired (a miserable excuse) I had a wee chuckle at my clumsiness but decided to
give up my Queen and play on...and on because it was blitz and anything can happen.
I dug in and won on time. Don’t panic I am not going to show you that terrible game.
Instead I am going to show you an RHP game where the same thing happened only in
this case White won with some cute play and a chunk of help from their opponent.
junnujannu - schweiss RHP 2009
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. O-O Qc7 8. Qe2 Ng4 {Here instead on 9.h3 the move 9.Nb5 is cited as being the best.} 9. h3 Nd4 {White, as I did, pretends this was all part of the plan.} 10. hxg4 Nxe2+ 11. Bxe2 {Two Knights and a lead in development for a Queen and a pawn. Not enough.} 11... a6 12. Be3 h5 13. g5 g6 14. Rac1 Bd6 {The first sign that Black is thinking this is won. 14...Qa5 was OK.} 15. Nd5 {15....exd5 16.Rxc7 Bxc7 Black is the exchange up and no worries.} 15... Qa5 16. Nf6+ {16.Nb6 was a good move but White has a wee trick up their sleeve.} 16... Kf8 17. Bb6 {17...Qxb6 18.Rxc8+ Rxc8 19.Nxd7+ and Nxb6 was the idea.} 17... Qxa2 {Black is having no part it and nicks another pawn.} 18. Bd4 Rg8 {Not a blunder. Black is giving up the exchange to get rid of that cramping Knight.} 19. Nxg8 Kxg8 20. Rfd1 Bf4 21. Ra1 Qb3 22. g3 Bc7 23. Rdc1 Bb6 {A Queen protecting a piece v a fully developed army = doom!} 24. Rc3 Qb4 25. Rc4 Qf8 {The Queen cannot hold the Bishop so gets right out of the way.} 26. Bxb6 {The material balance and position have shifted into White's favour.} 26... d5 27. Bc5 Qe8 28. Rb4 Qc6 29. Rc1 a5 30. Rb6 Qa4 {The Black Queen is being mercilessly pursued.} 31. Rd6 Bd7 32. exd5 exd5 33. Rxd5 {There are three unprotected White pieces but Black cannot take advantage of this.} 33... Qe4 {33...Bc6 was a better move. This Queen double attack is easily parried.} 34. Re5 Qa4 35. Bc4 Re8 36. Rxe8+ Bxe8 37. Ne5 b5 38. Bd5 b4 39. Nxg6 b3 40. Ne7+ Kg7 41. Bd4+ {Tricks galore. 41...Qxd4 then 42.Nf5+} 41... Kf8 42. Nf5 Bd7 43. Bc5+ Kg8 44. g6 {Thankfully the end is not far away now.} 44... Be6 45. Bd4 Bxd5 {Nothing could have saved the game.} 46. Rc8+ {and mate next move}
Oh. By the way, before we go any further I had better point out that White’s
trick with 17 Bb6. was unsound. Which is makes it all the more instructive.
Never believe your opponent, always check to see if they are telling the truth.
[FEN "r1b1k2r/1p1p1p2/p2bp1p1/q2N2Pp/4P3/4BN2/PP2BPP1/2R2RK1 w kq - 0 16"]
16. Nf6+ Kf8 17. Bb6 {If Black had fallen for it.} 17... Qxb6 18. Rxc8+ {Not Rxc8 allowing Nxd7+ but...} 18... Ke7 {And all the wee trick has accomplished is to help Black to develop.}
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